Mary, Mother of God- C

The very first words we hear from the scriptures as we begin the new year are words of blessing – “May the Lord bless you and keep you! May the Lord let his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you! May the Lord look upon you kindly and give you peace!”

The very first feast day we celebrate as we begin the new year is the feast that honors Mary as Mother of God.

And the very first intention the Church gives us for our prayer as we begin the new year is a prayer for peace.

The words of scripture remind us today, if indeed we need a reminder, that we are blessed – each one of us is a beloved child of God.

Our feast in honor of Mary reminds us that as children of God we are part of a communion of saints, including saints in heaven who are both models and intercessors for us.

Our prayer for peace reminds us today, that the communion of saints to which we belong also includes the saints who are our brothers and sisters here on earth – every person who is a child of God – and at the beginning of a new year we recommit ourselves to strengthening bonds of solidarity with one another and especially with those who are longing for and lacking the gift of peace in their lives.

Let us begin the new year rejoicing once again in our blessedness.

Let us gives thanks for the communion of saints to which we belong.

And let us resolve to make this new year a time in which each one of us makes a tangible contribution to the increase of God's peace in the world in which we live.

Thomas P. Ferguson
January 1, 2007